Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) (2 page)

Technically, Max’s status had just been upgraded, and Courtney was now lip-locked with the recently instated underboss, something she couldn’t lose sight of, no matter how good his mouth was.

Max.

The same man who was making his power known tonight to those who would be working with him going forward—not to mention to
her
, although this particular expression of power was an entirely different type of conversation.

The changing of the guard, as her father had referred to it, was the reason for this party, the sole explanation as to why she was there to gather information for the client who’d hired Sniper 1 Security, her family’s business.

Oh, God! Why me?

“Max.” Courtney could hardly speak, the pleasure robbing her of her common sense, making her want things she was usually smart enough to resist.

“Stay with me tonight,” Max insisted, his head lifting, his sparkling honey-gold eyes meeting hers as he released her leg and brought his large palms up to cup her face. His thumbs gently skimmed her cheeks as he held her head firmly between his hands once again.

He was so big, so broad, so … there.

At six foot, Max’s presence was felt as well as seen, the power that radiated from him palpable. He made her feel feminine, almost delicate, and definitely smaller than her five foot four inches. So much smaller.

Aside from how hot he made her, there was so much about the man she should fear, including who and what he was, but she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off him.

Trying to fight the desire, to listen to the warning bells clanging in her head, Courtney shook her head, swallowed hard.

“I can see it in your eyes, Courtney.” The rough, deep tenor of his voice resonated along her nerve endings, making her ache for him. “You want to stay with me. You want to feel me inside you, to feel me against you, skin to skin.”

Again, she shook her head. It was a lie, but one she was sticking to. She
did
want him,
did
want to feel him inside her, to sweep her fingers along his naked flesh and touch the rock-hard body beneath the expensive tuxedo while he fucked her into a mind-numbing euphoria.

But that was stupid.

That
was reckless.

Max’s thumbs pressed against her chin, his palms cupping her jaw, fingers splayed along the back of her neck, as he tilted her head so that she had no choice but to look up into his eyes. Her body succumbed to the ecstasy of his touch as he pressed against her, his hard, muscular thigh once again sliding between her legs, grinding against her pussy, waves of pleasure crashing inside her, intensifying until she could hardly breathe for wanting this man.

Thankfully, she had an ounce of common sense left.

“No.” She made sure there was no mistaking her adamant denial that time.

And just as she had hoped he would, Max released her, slowly stepping back, but his piercing gaze still pinned her in place.

“I’ll never force you, Courtney. But I
will
have you. Make no mistake, I will have you in my bed, where you’ll be beggin’ me to make you come. It
will
happen.”

Courtney swallowed hard. She hated him. Hated what he did to her. Hated how much she wanted him, despite knowing better. Hated that, when it came to him, her body seemed to be making all the decisions.

But more importantly, Courtney hated him for the man he was.

Despite the lavish exterior—mocha-brown hair and glowing gold eyes, a sexy body, and exquisite mouth—Courtney knew exactly who this man was beneath it all. No matter how attractive or polished he looked on the outside, Max wasn’t the man he appeared to be.

He was evil. Pure and simple. A killer.

And her mission was to get information on him and his family, the transfer of power, the businesses that they ran … not to get into his bed. Yet here she was, battling with her conscience, weighing the difference between right and wrong, good and bad.

Righting her dress and sliding her hand over her hair in an effort to tame it, Courtney stood straight and squared her shoulders. “Tell yourself whatever you have to in order to sleep at night, Mr. Adorite. But
make no mistake
,” she said, throwing his words back at him, “it will never happen.”

To her surprise, Max didn’t argue, but the smirk that flirted with the corners of his mouth said more than words.

“Good night, Mr. Adorite,” she told him, turning and walking away without looking back.

As she headed back to the ballroom, where the party was still going strong, Courtney felt his eyes penetrating her, the same as they’d done for most of the night. She inhaled deeply, trying to regain her composure.

That man…

Damn it.

Fighting the urge to turn back and run into his arms, Courtney rounded the corner, grateful that no one was there to see her loss of equanimity as she leaned her back against the wall, her breaths coming in shallow and rushed. Her body was on fire, her insides melting from the pleasure his touch had promised.

How had she gotten herself into this position? How in the hell had she allowed herself to be seduced by Maximillian Adorite? A freaking gangster.

Get a hold of yourself.

Taking a long, deep breath, then exhaling slowly, she stood straight once more, refusing to let him win this round.

Walking away from Max was the smart choice. Her only choice. And as her breathing returned to normal, she made up her mind to do just that.

Not that she thought Max was giving up. He was the type of man who got exactly what he wanted. And she understood that she presented a challenge to him. One that he would likely conquer eventually, but Courtney knew she had to walk away. And stay away.

Easier said than done.

Exhaling deeply, Courtney ignored the unnerving feeling that slammed into her … the one that told her, without a doubt, she was on a collision course that she couldn’t repave, one that would end, based on what she’d just experienced tonight, either beautiful or brutal.

Then again, based on what she knew of the man, she was more inclined to believe it’d be beautifully brutal.

And part of her was anxious to find out.

The reckless part.

Chapter Two

He still wanted her…

That would never change.

Present day

March 3rd

“She the one?”

Max dared to turn his gaze toward the tall blonde moving slowly across the room. Although
gliding
would probably be a better way of describing her catlike grace. The woman was…

Well, she was vicious. That’s what she was.

Nice to look at, sure. Evil incarnate, definitely. Not to mention spoiled and vindictive.

And Max had absolutely no interest in her, aside from appreciating her beauty from afar, admiring the political power that her family was affiliated with, but even that didn’t do much for him. His biggest issue with that woman was that the two of them weren’t on the same page regarding how things were supposed to work.

In Max’s world, he called the shots. All of them.

It’d been two years since he’d taken over as underboss, and during that time, he’d proven himself, proven that he could run the family business, do what needed to be done. Yet that woman seemed to think she had some sort of power over him. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t physically attracted to her in the least, nor did he want to spend any extra time in her presence; she was disillusioned in her beliefs to the contrary.

Then again, with the current situation he found himself in, it wasn’t all that surprising that Angelica Winslow believed otherwise. He knew that she’d been put up to it, coerced by her grandfather and Max’s own father to pursue a business arrangement that Max couldn’t seem to wrap his head around but knew better than to brush off.

However, yes, she was the one he’d been talking to his younger brother Brent about earlier that morning.

“Yeah,” Max confirmed. “You’d be smart to stay far, far away from that one.”

Max had never been the kind to give that sort of advice, but he couldn’t help himself. If Brent wanted to take a chance with a viper like her, more power to him. Truth was, if Brent would step up to the plate, Max’s life would be that much easier.

If Max’s brother—hell, any of the three—would figure out what the fuck it was they wanted to do at all, Max would possibly be able to catch his breath. But until that happened, his focus had to remain on keeping his family’s businesses running smoothly. Luckily, his two sisters were capable of pulling their own weight, so at least he had that.

“She doesn’t
look
evil,” Brent commented frankly, sipping his champagne and tucking one hand into the pocket of his slacks. It was a wonder Brent had bothered to dress up for the party. Max’s brother had traded his preferred black Stetson and Wrangler jeans for a tuxedo at Max’s insistence.

“They never do,” Max grumbled under his breath, his thoughts immediately drifting back to the one woman he’d spent the better part of two fucking years wanting with an unrivaled passion. A woman who no other woman could ever hold a candle to.

The very woman he expected to show up tonight.

“You’ve got guests coming your way, sir,” the assertive voice in his ear said.

“You need to take off.” Max nodded to his brother, a blatant dismissal that Brent didn’t argue with as he cast a curious glance over his shoulder before heading in the opposite direction.

Max turned toward the closed doors of the elaborate ballroom, where he’d been hosting parties for the last couple of years, waiting to see which of the many guests on his extensive list had arrived. The moment the doors opened and
she
stepped into view, his heartbeat slowed, as did his breathing. It was an automatic, predatory response, one that he’d honed over the last two years. It was his body’s way of arming for the battle he knew would come. The battle that fired him up and made his body ache for her.

Courtney Kogan.

Fuck, she looked good enough to eat.

He instantly knew that she had worn that dress to torment him. He loved the way the black strapless number hugged her curves, accentuating her narrow waist, her beautiful tits, and the toned muscles in her arms and shoulders. But he knew that the flirty skirt that caressed her mid-thigh wasn’t just to draw his eyes to her superb legs. No, that skirt was hiding her weapon, the one she kept strapped to her thigh at all times.

When the four guests neared, Max didn’t take his eyes off her.

“Courtney,” he greeted assuredly, willing her to meet his gaze.

“Max.” The way she said his name, so cold and emotionless, only made his dick twitch, but he didn’t allow his expression to change. Instead, he admired the blush that bloomed on her chest and carried up to her cheeks. That was something he loved about her, how easily she responded to him, even though she didn’t want to. She continued speaking as he admired her sexy mouth. “You’ve met Ryan Trexler. This is Trace Kogan, and this is Ryan’s sister, Marissa.”

Yes, Max knew Ryan Trexler, better known to most as RT. In fact, Max knew Ryan’s entire family, as well as the Kogans. It was his business to know about people he suspected of snooping into his organization. With that in mind, the crew at Sniper 1 Security was one he kept his eyes on at all times. Hence the reason they were there.

And tonight, the mere fact that RT was pretending to be Courtney’s date, escorting her to Max’s house, would’ve gotten him killed if it weren’t for the fact that Max knew the man was gay. Yes, RT’s preference for men was the only reason he was still breathing.

“Very nice to see you again,” Max said, smiling as he cast a brief glance at RT’s sister, politely shaking Marissa’s hand.

“Likewise,” Marissa replied in kind.

“Thank you again for the invitation,” RT said, his eyes searching the room.

Max looked directly at RT when he spoke. “Well, I’d say that I’m happy to see you again, but I’d be lying. However, I do hope you manage to enjoy yourselves tonight,” Max stated dismissively, his eyes traveling over Courtney once again before stopping on her face. “As for you, I hope you’ll save at least one dance for me.”

Courtney didn’t respond, at least not with words. Max pretended not to care, not to be overwhelmed with the urge to pull her against him and claim her mouth, forcing her to face this thing between them. This thing she’d been running from for two fucking years. It wasn’t the chase that bothered him. Max was all for working for what he wanted, but with Courtney, his willpower came into play. Or lack thereof. The very fact that she could shatter his control bothered him more than anything.

Max watched until Courtney disappeared into the crowd, her friends following close behind.

Touching the earpiece that traveled down into his shirt, Max said, “Leyton. I want eyes on those four at all times. Also, have someone outside. I’m sure there are others.”

“Yes, sir,” came the gruff agreement from his head of security. “We’ve got eyes on the three at the perimeter of the house.”

“Good. As for these four, don’t let them leave this room.”

“On it, sir.”

For the next hour, Max managed to keep from seeking Courtney out, but it wasn’t easy. Mingling with guests, listening to stories he’d heard a half dozen times already while anticipating seeing her, wasn’t exactly what he’d consider an enjoyable evening, but it was part of the job. At least the former was.

As he made his way across the room to the bar, Leyton approached, leaning his head in and speaking quietly. “Sir, we’ve got someone at the door. He’s insistin’ he talk to you. Says his name is Barry Thompson.”

Max lifted his head and met Leyton’s unwavering gaze. “Have someone bring him in. Hold him somewhere, I don’t care where, just don’t let him into this room.”

“Yes, sir.”

Approaching the bar, Max nodded to the bartender, who stopped what he was doing and proceeded to make Max’s drink. As Max stood there, waiting, he turned to scan the room when Courtney approached. He watched as she fiddled with the diamond pendant on her necklace.

She was naïve if she didn’t think he was on to her. He knew about the transmitters those four were wearing. He’d known the moment they’d stepped through his doors. But as he waited to hear what she had to say, he pretended not to notice that he now had an audience listening to their conversation.

“Hey, Max. Sounds like there’s someone tryin’ to crash your party,” Courtney offered casually—
too
casually—her eyes never coming to rest on his face.

He hated that she did that. That she wouldn’t look him in the eye when she spoke to him. If she’d been anyone else, he would’ve considered it a sign of disrespect. With her … he knew that wasn’t the case. No, with Courtney, he knew her inability to look him in the eye when she had something to say didn’t have anything to do with respect but was more of a self-preservation mechanism.

She wanted him.

And it was eating her alive.

“It’s bein’ handled,” Max confirmed, reaching to take the tumbler the bartender set on the bar behind him. Turning back to face her, he followed with, “Tell your boys to stand down.”

She did look at him then, glancing over at him from behind the silky fall of her dark brown hair. Her exotic white-gray eyes slid over his face as she swallowed hard. “As long as you can promise he won’t get anywhere near Marissa.”

“You’ve got my word on that,” Max assured her, never looking away, willing her to see him.
Really
see him.

Unfortunately, she was the one to break the eye contact.

Taking a sip of his cognac, Max studied Courtney, taking in her elegance, the sexy way she carried herself, and most importantly, the way she pretended he wasn’t standing less than a foot away from her.

He wanted to tell her that tonight wasn’t about Marissa Trexler. Not entirely, anyway. But he kept that little tidbit to himself. No sense in handing over his own agenda when it wasn’t necessary to accomplish his goal.

He knew that the Sniper 1 Security team was dealing with an internal issue, one that happened to bleed over into Max’s organization to a degree, which was why he fully intended to put that to bed tonight. Their enemy, Dan Duchein—the man Courtney and her cohorts were there to find—had at one point been someone who’d proven himself useful to Max. Until recently.

Ever since the asshole had gone off the reservation and started hunting down Ms. Trexler in an attempt to silence her completely, Max had been watching him closely. He’d known what the guy was doing, who he was after. Hell, he even knew why. It didn’t bother Max that the man was attempting to silence what he thought to be a threat to his livelihood. No, Max actually respected him for that. But he didn’t approve of the way the guy was going about it.

It was one thing to silence those who could cause a ripple in the financial pond of a corporation, something else entirely to lay the blame elsewhere while doing so. Max fully believed in owning the reason behind the reaction, not opting for the cowardly way out.

Max stood motionless, staring at the beautiful woman he’d spent countless hours getting to know personally—and intimately—when she glared back at him. Neither of them said anything, but nothing really needed to be said. There was a wealth of conversation going on without the need to cloud it with words.

Despite her denial, Courtney still wanted him.

And he still wanted her.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Courtney said softly before turning.

Max reached for her arm, stopping her before she could retreat. “I want to talk to you.”

Courtney glanced down at his hand on her arm, then her gaze lifted to meet his once more. “I’ve said everything I need to say.”

He leaned in closer, and her hand instantly went to the pendant, clearly cutting the transmission so no one else would hear him. “You’re wrong about that. There are plenty of things left to be said between us.”

Max released her, watching as she walked away, not willing to play this game with her here. Too many eyes on them, too many people who didn’t need to see the emotion Max was unable to disguise. Courtney meant something to him. Hell, she meant
everything
to him. And based on experience, Max knew that his enemies, those who thought they could take him down or disrupt his business, wouldn’t shy away from using her against him.

It wasn’t until he noticed RT and Trace speaking to the man Max had been expecting to show up that he realized the games had begun.

Special Agent Dan Duchein had arrived.

Which meant the real party was about to begin.